Bert Blyleven

Bolstered by key offseason acquisitions Torii Hunter and Jon Garland, the Angels look primed to win their fourth division title in the last five years. The Mariners are their chief threat in the AL West, but while Seattle has improved its rotation, it doesn’t have enough offense to beat out L.A.

While winning the division is a goal of the Angels, so to is putting the brakes on the franchise’s recent playoff frustration. Postseason appearances for L.A. in 2004, 2005, and last year have resulted in a combined 4-12 record and the Angels have prevailed in only one of four playoff series over that span.

The Angels were a 94-win team in 2007, but were beset by late-season injuries and illness to key players. They scored just four runs in a three-game sweep by the Red Sox in the ALDS. Anyone who wasn’t born yesterday knows the pressure is on the Angels to deliver an optimum October.

Garland needs to get back to his best
The Angels were wise to make the November trade with the White Sox for Garland. They gave up a talented and popular player in two-time Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera, but remember that Garland has a durable arm. He has pitched at least 200 innings in each of the past four seasons.

Having Garland on board seems even more important with news that Kelvim Escobar, the team’s No. 2 starter, who posted a career-best 18-7 record last season, could miss part of the season while recovering from a shoulder injury he sustained last September.

Escobar’s absence puts some pressure on Garland, a Southern California native and sinkerball right-hander, who was winless in his first five starts last season en route to a sub-par 10-13 record. Not only might a change of scenery help Garland regain the form that made him an 18-game winner in 2005 and 2006, so might the motivation of pitching for his next contract as he is in the final season of a three-year deal.

Of interest to fans of the Angels not wanting another fall to pieces by their team in the postseason is Garland’s playoff history. It’s fair to assume the 28-year-old could come up big for L.A. in October. He has a career 2.25 ERA in the postseason, and among his playoff highlights is a win over the Angels in Game 3 of the 2005 ALCS as the White Sox were on their way to winning the World Series.

Working out the bullpen’s workload

Video   Mad Dog Minute: AL West Prediction Feb. 25: Christopher Russo says Seattle's rotation will be too much for the Angels to handle this season. NBC Sports

The Angels have one of the top bullpens in baseball, especially with closer Francisco Rodriguez and setup man Scot Shields. Obviously neither one can pitch every day, so it’s imperative that L.A.’s starters work deeper into games this season. Heavy workloads for Rodriguez and Shields cost both pitchers effectiveness in the latter part of last season. Laying a guilt trip on them for that isn’t fair as both took the ball every time they were asked to do so. The problem was they were asked too often.

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Shields has pitched more than any other reliever in the majors over the past three seasons (361.2 innings). But the right-hander temporarily lost his setup role when he hit a 12-game swoon last August -- during which he pitched to a 9.00 ERA. It would help if L.A. could add another left-handed reliever. Otherwise the Angels might again be playing with fire when it comes to overtaxing the bullpen.

As for Rodriguez, he has a major-league best 132 saves over the past three seasons. Last year he posted a 5-2 record with a 2.81 ERA and 40 saves. But he struggled with his control during the second half of the schedule and pitched to a 3.45 ERA with six blown saves.

Rodriguez lost his salary arbitration case this winter (he’ll earn $10 million in 2008), and he could be headed for free agency at the end of the season. That should pump him up for a big year and he’s the kind of player where it should not affect his focus on the task at hand.

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